Business case development
We work with our clients across all stages – from understanding the problem and service needed, to evaluating and recommending options for investment – to ensure decisions are backed by evidence and demonstrate value for money.
Service needs assessment
A strong business case starts with a clear understanding of the service need – the ‘why’ behind the investment. We specialise in establishing this foundation through collaborative Investment Logic Mapping workshops, aligned with the Investment Management Standard, to define the core need, alongside your stakeholders. This is then rigorously substantiated with contextual and data analysis, ensuring the case for change is firmly rooted in a clearly defined problem, which, in turn, guides the development of logical and effective options. By focusing on a data-driven, problem-centric approach, we help you build robust business cases that drive results and secure stakeholder alignment.
Demand assessments
A robust demand assessment is critical for substantiating the need for investment. It confirms the current and projected needs across sectors to achieve economic, social or environmental objectives. Our approach to demand assessments combines rigorous research, data analysis, stakeholder engagement, and market sounding to establish the essential inputs, parameters, and assumptions. This multi-faceted methodology allows for the triangulation of information, resulting in robust and credible demand scenarios that effectively inform strategic options scoping.
Options analysis
We employ rigorous evaluation methodologies to compare options against each other and to a base case. This includes a Multi-Criteria Analysis for rapid, participatory assessments and Cost-Benefit Analysis for more in-depth evaluation of shortlisted options. Being experts in market and non-market valuation, we incorporate a range of values into the analysis to reflect broader societal and environmental outcomes. We ensure robustness by undertaking comprehensive sensitivity analysis, testing the limits of any inputs and assumptions to inform options selection.
Business case review
Our team of accredited Business Case Gateway Reviewers are experienced in both business case development and review. We not only facilitate economic and financial reviews, including for a Gateway review process, but ensure all business case outputs meet the standards to be fit-for-purpose for independent assessments.
Industry leadership
Our industry leaders are known for their deep expertise and knowledge in their field. They bring a thorough understanding of industry trends, technologies and best practices.
Jim Binney
Practitioner
Jim is a resource and environmental economic practitioner with over 25 years’ of postgraduate experience. Since 2006 he has undertaken in excess of 220 consulting assignments.<br><br>Cost-benefit analysis, cost effectiveness analysis, and non-market valuation are tools used in most of his projects. A major focus of his work is the integration of environmental values into mainstream decision making and investment.<br><br>Jim has experience across a broad range of resource and environmental management issues including water management (allocations, infrastructure investment (urban and rural), water use efficiency, water quality, and stormwater), catchment management, climate change, vegetation management, biodiversity, sustainable agriculture, sustainable development, waste management, development policy, impacts of resource development projects, and natural capital valuation.<br><br>Jim has undertaken consulting assignments in all states and territories across Australia as well as numerous international assignments in Tuvalu, Vietnam, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Myanmar, China, Federated State of Micronesia, and for multinational organisations (e.g. SPREP, UN, FAO, OECD, GIZ, World Bank).<br><br>Prior to commencing his consulting career in 2006, Jim was the Director of Economics for the Queensland Department of Natural Resources.<br><br>Jim is currently spending a significant proportion of his time on assignments in the South Pacific.
Dr Amar Doshi
Dr Amar Doshi brings over a decade of experience in natural resource, environmental and regulatory economics, across research, academia, the public sector and to consulting with Natural Capital & Climate.<br><br>He has experience across a diverse range of fields, undertaking complex applied economic analysis that meets the rigour and nuance of different disciplines and contexts. This includes non-market valuation of environmental resources, techno-economic production models for alternative fuels, cost-benefit analyses and business cases for investment options, and advice for policy and decision-making. Amar’s experience includes investigating water supply requirements in regional areas, waterway restoration assessments in rural and urban regions, assessment and design of market-based incentives for environmental outcomes, assessments of new technology industries, and estimation of values for urban and natural resources like marine parks, coral reefs and urban lakes. His work has taken him across Australia and Southeast Asia.<br><br>A key aspect to Amar’s work is proper consideration of stakeholder values, either through survey design and analysis, or direct engagement through interviews and workshops. He regularly leans on stakeholder input with published literature within his analysis and advice. Amar is also a trained facilitator to develop Investment Logic Mapping, working towards accreditation under the Investment Management Standard, which is a critical component in developing business cases in Australia and internationally.
Steve Charlton-Henderson
Steve is a resource economist and one of NCC’s most proficient economic modellers. He is a Bachelor of Economics (Hons) graduate from the University of Queensland where he majored in Natural Resources and Environment.<br> <br>In his time at NCC, he has worked on a wide range of projects with a focus on those involving cost-benefit analysis in the contexts of agriculture, water supply and natural hazards. The analyses regularly include the development of economic models and risk assessments. These projects, along with many others Steve has been involved with, have also included desktop analysis, consultation with industry, and incorporating social and environmental considerations into decision-making, both quantitatively and qualitatively.
Mitchell Perry
Mitchell is a resource economist with Natural Capital & Climate. He specialises in applying economic and financial analysis to natural resource management issues to inform decision-making.<br><br>With NCC, Mitchell has worked on consulting assignments across Australia and overseas. Major focuses of his work have been using cost-benefit analysis to compare options and to develop business cases, using market and non-market valuation techniques to value ecosystem services, and undertaking economic analysis of natural hazards to inform climate change adaptation.<br><br>Prior to consulting, Mitchell worked in finance, in roles with government, and with several large corporations in Australia and the United Kingdom. He holds a master’s degree in agricultural and resource economics from the University of New England.
Projects in Business Case Development
Natural Capital Business Case for NSW LLS
Gladstone Desalination for Hydrogen Business Case, Economics and Finance Advisor
Coorong Infrastructure Investigations Project Cost-Benefit Analysis and Regional Economic Impacts
Regional Water Assessments Demand and Service Need Assessment
Burdekin Falls Dam Business Case
See more projects in Business Case Development
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Policy and governance
We are a national leader in the provision of policy, governance, planning and evaluation advice across Australia's land and water resources.